On a side note, this ring can be seen fitted to USMC M1A1’s, whereas the Army doesn’t use it anymore…
Afghanistan 2012 :
H.P.
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The Army got rid of the sprocket rings. The Marines went and got rid of their tanks. 
Just yanking your chain to all those USMC types here… ducking for cover now.
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Sum MF 
Your joke was funny, the decision was dumb.
As I recall deep soft sand made it easier to throw track hence using the ring.
So I’m not sure if my Tamiya M1 mine plough has the retaining rings in the kit… As I’m doing it for the ODS Group Build, would the best thing be to get a PE set with them in, or could I do the kit without them ?
Base on this thread for ODS you could leave it off. Always best to have photo to go off if you can.
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Thanks Ryan, that helps alot 
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Since your doing a ODS tank that thread has lots of good information as Marine tank items came later. People sometimes forget the M1 was new to the Marines then, some even had the new tank smell on them. Two weeks of school training was all they had before OJT and effectively using them in combat.
IIRC, didn’t only the reserve Marine Tank Battalion, called up for that war, receive M1’s after activation, and were the first Marines to use M1’s in combat. All the other active Marine Tank Battalions in the Gulf had M60s in 1991?
@Tank_1812, I agree about the decision to do away with USMC tank units was dumb. That takes them out of the near peer enemy force on force scenario on land. Not to mention the proud battlefield history that those units had achieved in combat.
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Reading Ed Gilbert’s book and other materials. Marines had enough M1’s for 4 Battalions in country. Bravo Co 4th Tanks (Reserve unit) get the most print because of the “Reveille Engagement” on Feb 25 when ambushed an Iraqi armor column that drove by in the morning. As I recall these where the only MC owned tanks. I don’t think they had the standard MC M1 parts as they where diverted from the plant to the MC and not Army. Forgot how bad the active/reserve thing was.
Interesting read of B and C Co 4th Tanks attached to 2nd Marines had M1’s. The US Army provided additional tank support.
I will have to do more research for the other 2 batt of tanks.
I was under the impression that the majority, if not all of the regular Marine tank battalions had M60s. That’s pretty much all that you see in photos, and as described in my Osprey and Concord books on the Gulf War.
A Brigade of US Army 2nd Armored Division was assigned to work with the Marine ground element. I do not recall where the other active 2nd AD brigade went. The third brigade of 2nd AD was a National Guard “round out” brigade from North Carolina, and called up but never deployed. The Army did a lot of mix and match with active brigades because the mobilization of National Guard round out brigades for stateside active duty divisions did not work as intended.
Yes, a majority was M60s. The reports indicate 4 battalions (70ish) of M1’s in theater. Outside of Bravo company they didn’t have the same fanfare. Probably getting at 11hr did install confidence when all the training was with M60.
I think a deeper study of the images and reports is probably in order as I think people (myself included) are probably applying standard MC items to identify photos and those items where not standard then. Course if we have resources of btdt folks that would help too as GF was just before mine time.
Dammit… now you have me wondering about this… 
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MC tank battles in the Middle East by Oscar Gilbert pg 49 says there was 16 M1A1 and 60 M1A1 (HA) from Army stocks went to 2nd Tank Batt.
So 1st and 3rd Tank Battalions had M60’s, while 2nd and 4th had M1’s. I did read that 4th Battalion augmented 2nd to give them 5 companies.
8th Tank Battalion USMC brought 4 tank companies and a HQ company into theater. There was a shortage of tanks and they were only assigned three companies of tanks. Company C and D were combined and the extra personal went to the Log Train as replacements. They were assigned M60A1s. 2nd Tank Battallion were assigned M1A1’s. 8th Tanks supported 6th Marines during ODS from crossing the border until they reached Kuwait City.
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Partial correct, 2nd and 4th had both M60’s and M1’s. 1st and 3rd only had M60’s.
Hi all, which was the color of the M1 optics?
If you’re speaking of the gunners primary sight (GPS) the one side presents as a mirrored surface as you can see and the other side has the purple/pink/red cast similar to periscopes with anti laser coating. Behind this window you can see the reflection of the sight lenses themselves.
Sean
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Thanks a lot Sean
Sure thing. I just happened to have those images handy in a folder I had sent to a modeler who is working his way through the Heng Long/ Tamiya 1/16 RC kit M1A1HA, 2/9/2023 Update, Bottom Turrent Details Finished! - Page 97 - RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum definitely worth a look if you have a chance. I should add that most of those photos are from Prime Portal.
Sean